“I just wanted to keep hanging out with you. Is that so wrong?”
“Usually, when you hang out with someone, you ask them first. You don’t just invite yourself over.”
Leo shrugged, unbothered. “So. Did you have fun?”
“Yeah. Thanks for coming, by the way. I am going to pay you for your meal.”
“No, you’re not,” he said. “Maybe I’d let you if I had the worst time, but I didn’t. It was fun.”
“Really?” I peered at him.
“I’m not lying.” He knocked his arm with mine. “Did I do a good job for you?”
“Atticus told me you compared me to Snow White.”
He ducked his head. “Well. It’s important as your wingman to emphasise your…” he waved a hand at my face.
I reached out and squeezed his hand because I wanted to put him out of my misery. “You did a good job. Thank you, Leo.”
I squeezed the hands of my friends all the time, so I didn’t think anything of squeezing his, until he squeezed mine back.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
We walked another minute in silence, Leo’s hand firm on mine. Was he aware he was still holding my hand? Was this just another facet of his touchiness? Should I casually pull away?
In the end, I didn’t. I didn’t want to, and besides, it was nice that a straight guy was so secure in himself that he didn’t mind holding a gay guy’s hand.
Five minutes later, we arrived at my building, a dated apartment complex that I’d been lucky to get a lease for. I had to gently pull my hand out of his to grab my keys, which were attached to a keychain with a tiny ceramic of a Shiba Inu. Once in the elevator, Leo leaned against the far wall, crossing hisarms against his chest, looking around at the mirrored walls that caused a kaleidoscope effect, creating infinite versions of us.
After an eternity, the elevator finally arrived on my floor. Wordlessly, Leo followed me down the hallway to my apartment. I unlocked the door, and I had the weirdest sensation of shivering. It was strange because I wasn’t cold in the slightest.
“This is my place,” I said, leading him into the studio and turning the light on. I noticed too late that I hadn’t been expecting visitors and left the place a mess. About seventeen articles of clothing were thrown over my bed because I’d tried on several outfits before the double date. I’d left deodorant, my cologne and a comb lying on the desk, which also held a dirty plate and a bag of apples spilling from the plastic. I hadn’t vacuumed for a week and pieces of lint littered the cheap grey carpet.
“Sorry. I forgot it was such a mess.”
“It’s not messy at all,” Leo lied with ease. He walked into the small space and collapsed on my cheap two-person couch.
“Do you want anything to drink?” I asked.
“Water would be great.”
I dug through the back of my cupboards filled with random pieces of cutlery, spices, and pantry items until I found two clean glasses. I filled them with cold tap water, walked over to Leo, and passed him one.
I fell onto the couch beside him, but I underestimated just how small my tiny couch was I’d got for free off Facebook marketplace because the entire left side of my body was pressed up against him, and there was nowhere else I could sit. I could perch on the arm, but that’d make it obvious I was avoiding touching him.
We drank our water. I was about to break the silence with something meaningless like, “It’s been a long day,” when Leo spoke.
“Do you like him?” He was looking straight ahead, holding the glass in his lap.
“Atticus? Um.” I tilted my head. “To be honest, he still kind of intimidates me.”
“Because he’s good-looking?”
“Well, yes, but that’s not the only reason. The few times it was just the two of us talking, it was still kind of stilted. I thought it’d be easier by now, but it’s still difficult for me to completely relax around him when we’re one one-on-one.”
“Because of how he looks.”
“No, it’s not that. I can relax around pretty people.”
